Traders face new blow in fight to stop store

Sheffield-based chairman Andrew Flower said: “By far the most dangerous threat to the future of the retail trade is the proliferation of the ‘big four’ supermarkets.”

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a new supermarket in South Yorkshire are set to get the go-ahead, despite strong objections from local traders.

Small business owners in Mexborough have previously called on Doncaster Council to refuse consent for Tesco’s application to convert a former carpet warehouse near the town’s railway station into a supermarket and petrol station.

However, their campaign proved fruitless and councillors said at a meeting last month that they were prepared to grant planning permission for the store.

Now the outline plans have to go before Rotherham Council as around a quarter of the site lies within its boundaries.

Members have been advised to approve the plans, meaning that the development can go ahead, at a committee meeting next Thursday, May 17.